Air Supply - Biography BIOGRAPHY Graham Russell & Russell Hitchcock met on May 12, 1975, the first day of rehearsals for "Jesus Christ Superstar" in Sydney, Australia; they became instant friends with their common love for The Beatles and, of course, singing. After the shows' performances at 10:30, they would play pizza parlors, coffee bars and night clubs with just one guitar and two voices. They quickly gained a reputation for great harmonies and for original songs that Graham was constantly writing. They made a demo on a cassette of two songs, "Love and Other Bruises" and "If You Knew Me" and took it to every record company in Sydney. Everyone turned it down but one — CBS Records — who admired their unique style. They made a single in one afternoon and it shot to number one on the national charts. Air Supply was born! That same year, they opened for Rod Stewart across Australia and then throughout the U.S. and Canada playing all of the famous huge venues before Rod would take the stage. They found new fans, but did not break the U.S. market. Back in Australia they had to start again and made a record called Life Support.

On this record were some treasures of songs, including "Lost in Love" which went Top 10 in Australia and somehow found its way to music industry executive Clive Davis in New York. Clive immediately signed Air Supply to Arista Records and in 1980, "Lost in Love" became the fastest selling single in the world, leaping to the top of all of the charts. Now Air Supply was on their way. The second single was "All Out of Love," and that went up the charts even quicker. Seven top-five singles later, Air Supply at that time had equaled The Beatles' run of consecutive top five singles. The albums Lost in Love, The One That You Love, Now & Forever, and The Greatest Hits sold in excess of 20 million copies. "Lost in Love" was named Song of the Year in 1980, and, with the other singles, sold more than 10 million copies. The trademark sound of Russell Hitchcock's soaring tenor voice and Graham Russell's simple yet majestic songs created a unique sound that would forever be known as Air Supply. However, it is the live shows that always hold audiences captive around the world.

They were the first Western group to tour China, Taiwan, and countless other countries that before would not allow pop music across their borders. In 1983 they recorded "Making Love Out Of Nothing At All" by Jim Steinman which solidified the group as a permanent force in modern music. This song was released on The Greatest Hits album which soared past 7 million copies. "Lost in Love", "All Out of Love", "The One That You Love", "Sweet Dreams", and "Making Love Out Of Nothing At All" have each achieved multi-million plays on the radio. In 1986 the group's music was still playing endlessly on radio. That same year, Graham was married to actress Jodi Varble from Rochelle, Illinois, who also was his leading lady in the video for "Making Love Out Of Nothing At All." Air Supply began to tour with lavish productions in places that no one had been before. In South America and Asia they became a part of everyone's life. In 1988, Air Supply was asked to participate in Australia's bicentennial celebration and to play for HRH Prince Charles and HRH Princess Diana, where they learned both were already ardent fans.

This engagement would be one of their most treasured moments in their career. In 1989, they recorded "The Earth Is" album selling over a million copies outside of the U.S. This album was followed by "The Vanishing Race" CD and, with the singles "Goodbye" and "It's Never Too Late", again saw multi-platinum success. The following albums, "News from Nowhere", "Yours Truly", and "Across the Concrete Sky" all gave their second greatest hits album multi-platinum status as they traveled the world each and every year. In 2000, a new production company was founded to be devoted to Air Supply's entire future product, called A Nice Pear, which gave them complete creative control. In July 2005, their live DVD, "It Was 30 Years Ago Today" celebrated 30 years of success around the world and in that same month, Air Supply smashed attendance records when, in Cuba, at one show they played to 175,000 people. Also 2005 saw the release of "The Singer and the Song", an acoustic album of many of their big hits which received critical acclaim.

In May 2010, the long-awaited album, "Mumbo Jumbo" –also the duo's first studio recording in eight years- was released. Recorded at Graham Russell's home studio near Park City, Utah and at Odds On's state of the art facilities in Las Vegas with top session musicians and an orchestra, "Mumbo Jumbo" was produced by Russell and engineered by Odds On's Sean O'Dwyer, whose credits include Pink Floyd, Randy Newman and Blink-182. Among the 14-tracks, released by Odds On's label, was the first single "Dance With Me," which earned Air Supply a prominent feature article in Billboard Magazine titled "Still Supplying The Hits After 35 Years." Just weeks after composer and vocalist Graham Russell was honored with a BMI Million-Air Certificate recognizing 3 million performances of the duo's hit "All Out Of Love," Air Supply's new song was the #1 most added track on the FMQB AC40 Chart, and also one of the most added on the R&R (Radio and Records) AC Chart and the Mediabase AC chart.

In 2011, the duo continues to play more than 150 shows a year worldwide, including stops in England, Ireland, Israel, Philippines, Korea, Japan, Canada, the U.S. and beyond. Currently, we just finished filming our live Jerusalem, Israel show for a new DVD that will be out later this year. The DVD will feature two new songs, "Sanctuary" and "Everywhere." "Sanctuary" will be released as a single on iTunes by October, 2011. Q & A with Songwriter Graham Russell of Air Supply - Agoura Hills, CA Patch Enter town name or ZIP Select to search all Patches Arts & Entertainment Q & A with Songwriter Graham Russell of Air Supply Performing for 37 years now, Air Supply makes a stop at The Canyon Club this Friday as part of their year-long US and world tour. By Mira Del Fonso Reverente (Open Post) - July 30, 2012 3:31 pm ET Iconic pop duo Air Supply with lead singer Russell Hitchcock and songwriter Graham Russell will be performing at this Friday at 9 p.m.

Fresh from the noteworthy release of their 25th CD "Mumbo Jumbo" and their newest single "Sanctuary," the Australian duo has been making performance stops recently in Mississippi, Texas and now California. Their creative partnership is 37-years strong, producing classic hits such as "Lost in Love," "All Out of Love," "Making Love Out of Nothing at All" and "Now and Forever," to name a few. They are constantly on the road with more than 150 shows worldwide from Canada to China and from Israel to Ireland, with no signs of slowing down. In between shows and rehearsals, Patch caught up with Graham Russell for a quick chat and an enticing preview of this Friday's show. Patch: What can your fans expect during your Canyon Club show this Friday? Graham Russell: Performing in Agoura Hills is such a thrill for us. We’ve been coming to your great town for four or five years now. We’ll be playing a lot of the big hits that fans expect like “Lost in Love,” “All Out of Love,” among others.

We are good about always delivering on the ones that people want to hear, but we’ll have new songs too like “Sanctuary,” “Everywhere” and at least one other brand-new song. We swap them around. We move things around and try to keep things fresh. A lot of it also depends on how much time the venue gives us or if it’s open-ended. P: Rumor has it that you and your “better half” Russell Hitchcock have never had a fight or even a disagreement. What makes the two of you tick? How did you manage to get along for 37 years? GR: (chuckles) It’s not a rumor. It’s a fact. Russell and I have never had an argument. We’re both very level-headed individuals with distinct roles. I’m the songwriter and he’s the lead singer and we fulfill both roles perfectly. Those roles are never compromised and there’s no spotlight-hogging. I’ve been a master songwriter for over 50 years. I’m happy to be in the shadows or playing the guitar or the piano. That’s perfectly fine with me. Russell as the lead singer is always front and center.

I’ve asked him to write songs a few times in the past but he doesn’t want to. So see, there’s really been no reason for us to argue. We’re both giving individuals who like to compromise and work things out. P: How do you keep it fresh and how do you stay inspired to keep writing all these ballads? GR: It’s a discipline, just like going to the gym or any kind of passion. I will myself to write everyday, even if it’s just a few verses. I push myself and tell myself that if I want to be good, I have to do it everyday. It’s important in any career to be strict and disciplined with one’s self. I believe my greatest songs are yet to come. As for inspiration, every moment I’m awake, I get inspired. In restaurants, planes, trains – I have a take on everything. I believe that wherever you are, there is a message for you. For example…In Biloxi, Mississippi, I saw rose bushes everywhere. That triggered memories because my dad used to grow them. So I wrote a poem about it. Everything’s a trigger. Sometimes, I’ll play my guitar and nothing will happen right away. I’ll just enjoy it.

When I “let go,” that’s when a song comes. P: What would your fans be surprised to know about you and Russell? GR: Ahh…that we’re just two normal people who work and enjoy ourselves? We do have separate lives. We hardly see each other when we’re not working or when we’re “off the road.” I have been married for 26 years with four grandchildren. Russell has no grandchildren. So I’m a little ahead of him on that one. (chuckles) P: Aside from your tour, what else is “in the works” for Air Supply? What else would you like to accomplish? GR: We have a Broadway show coming up – “Lost in Love,” that is based on the song. We’ve had three successful readings for that and rehearsals will start in September. This fall, we’re also releasing a DVD of our show last year in Israel. I would love to have a song in a movie that wins an Academy Award. I know everything will come if you’re patient and work hard.

I think our biggest achievement is our ability to perform “live,” travel the world, perform at a high level and still remain incredible friends who can write and produce great music together...and in doing that, bring happiness to a lot of people - we are living that. Click here for more information or to purchase tickets for this Friday's show. Get free real-time news alerts from the Agoura Hills Patch. Subscribe This post is contributed by a community member. The views expressed in this post are the author's. Registered users are welcome to post on Patch . Sanctuary - Single by Air Supply on Apple Music Sanctuary by Andrea Roberts313 This song truly touches the soul. Great voice and great song. I can't stop playing the song. It's so gripping. Love it so much!!! Love it!! by SevenDay I've been a fan since I first saw you in Costa Mesa, Ca on a rainy night in the early 1980's. You guys have grown so much in your writing and singing of your music. This song kinda takes me back to your early days with a touch of today with the keyboard work. Very good. Well done Graham and Russell. Well done!! Sanctuary is awesome !

by Mike LaValle Another great new song by Air Supply. They are like a fine wine that just keeps on getting better all the time ! Can't get the song out of my head and very happy to have it stuck there ! Awesome song ! Biography Formed: 1976 in Melbourne, Australia Genre: Pop Years Active: '70s, '80s, '90s, '00s, '10s With their heavily orchestrated, sweet ballads, the Australian soft rock group Air Supply became a staple of early-'80s radio, scoring a string of seven straight Top Five singles. Air Supply, for most intents and purposes, was the duo of vocalists Russell Hitchcock and Graham Russell; other members came through the group over the years, yet they only functioned as backing musicians and added little to the group's sound. Hitchcock and Russell met while performing in a Sydney, Australia, production... Top Albums and Songs by Air Supply 1.

Russell Hitchcock - Biography - IMDb Russell Hitchcock Jump to: Overview (3) | Mini Bio (1) | Spouse (1) | Trivia (4) Overview (3) 5' 7" (1.7 m) Mini Bio (1) Russell Hitchcock was born on June 15, 1949 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia as Russell Charles Hitchcock. He has been married to Laurie Hitchcock since April 9, 2000. Spouse (1) Daughter, Sydney Rose Hitchcock born May 1988 Has a son, Jon. Is the other half of Air Supply with Graham Russell . The group also includes guitarist Jimmy Haun . Co-host, with Angela Lambert and his Air Supply partner Graham Russell , of an infomercial for TimeLife's "Classic Soft Rock" music collection". [2006] See also Air Supply's Graham Russell talks about his career, new musical ahead of Baton Rouge performance | NOLA.com Air Supply's Graham Russell talks about his career, new musical ahead of Baton Rouge performance air supply The soft-rock duo Air Supply will play in Baton Rouge at the L'Auberge Casino and Hotel on Friday, April 26.

(photo courtesy of Air Supply) comments Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock met on the first day of rehearsals for "Jesus Christ Superstar" in Sydney, Australia, bonding over a shared love for The Beatles. Just a short time later, Russell and Hitchcock became the soft-rock duo known as Air Supply. That was nearly 40 years ago, and since then Air Supply has produced a prolific track record. They toured with Rod Stewart in their first year then their debut album, "Lost in Love," sold more than 2 million copies. They matched The Beatles' record of consecutive top five singles, several songs have earned multimillion radio plays, and now a musical is in the works. The band also continues to tour worldwide, heading to Mexico, South Africa and Paraguay in the coming weeks. Louisiana, however, will have the chance to catch up with Air Supply in Baton Rouge at the L'Auberge Casino and Hotel on Friday, April 26. "We love playing live more than anything, so we really take a lot of care to make sure we're able to do that," Russell said from his home in Utah during a rare two-week break.

"I think we still look good, and we have a great young band with us to make us look even better." Russell said he and Hitchcock perform about 150 nights per year, and Russell is focusing energy on the new musical rather than a new album currently. The musical, titled "Lost in Love," is comprised solely of Air Supply songs and has yet to go into full rehearsals, but Russell said much of the cast has been selected for readings. "It's set in England at the turn of the century. It's very romantic, a very kind of Agatha Christie setting," Russell explained. "There's a love triangle going, and all the usual twists and turns. … The songs really lend themselves to the old English surroundings." Russell said someone approached him with a script, but admits he's "thought about it for some time." "But I've always though the correct book should be first-class and should really warrant all these great songs," Russell said. The history of Air Supply only saw one major bump in the road with Russell and Hitchcock's split after 1986's "Hearts in Motion" was met with poor reception on the charts.

"We never wanted to be the old guys just getting up on stage and playing the hits," Russell said. "We always said, 'We'll do it until they stop coming to see us.'" Russell said sustaining his friendship with Hitchcock has been based on "a great respect." "We respect each other's roles in the band. I write the songs. I produce the albums. … (Hitchcock) likes to do his thing and get up and sing," Russell said. "He really is a great entertainer." Russell said artists today don't always understand that entertaining is an aspect of the job. "It takes a long time to become a real entertainer and not just a musician that gets up and stands there," Russell said. "We learned that from Rod Stewart in the 1970s, and now we've kind of got a grip on that. We're really not just musicians. We are entertainers." Tickets for Air Supply at L'Auberge Casino and Hotel are available through Ticketmaster for $30.

<br> Tennessee: The Nashville Sessions - Russell Hitchcock | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic Tennessee: The Nashville Sessions google+ AllMusic Review by Jonathan Widran Three decades after their pop chart heyday with some of the most romantic hits of the early '80s, Air Supply -- Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock -- were still going strong, touring the world every year. The second decade of the 2000s began with a new burst of creativity as well, with the duo releasing Mumbo Jumbo -- their first album of original material in eight years -- and placing two songs on the adult contemporary charts. Even more impressive is Hitchcock 's reaching out of the Air Supply comfort zone for this rich, emotional excursion into pop-country territory on an expansive two-CD, 20-track set that finds him working with some of the city's renowned session musicians and songwriters. Not surprisingly, while the singer employs a lower vocal tone than what most of his fans are used to, he still unapologetically plays the role of the super-romantic (the soaring opening ballad "Fallin'") and resident heartbreaker (the soulful and ironic, steel guitar-tinged "It Don't Mean a Thing").

He's not above rockin' just a little, getting bluesy and drinking and smoking cigarettes to get his lost love back -- but somehow makes being "Desperate" sound full of a potential silver lining. Disc two's opening gush of heartbreak, "Far Enough Away from Colorado," is where the more authentic country vibe on the collection enters full force, and it's a ride that takes Hitchcock beyond simple affairs of the heart. He admits he's a little crazy and rowdy on "May the Best Man Win" and experiences a little of Johnny Cash 's personal heartbreak on the somber retrospection of "Cash's Last Days." Usually, drinking is a celebrated theme in country music, but on "The Next Right Thing," Hitchcock boldly explores the darker side, asking for one last chance after yet another bender. Disc two has a few conventional love ballads ("A Love Like This," "Hold Me Like You Love Me"), but more clever expressions like "Like I'm Elvis" engage a bit more.

Hitchcock 's busy "day job" with Air Supply , and the perception that this could be a one-time flirtation with Nashville, might preclude him being invited to CMA events or the Grand Ole Opry, but it's remarkably strong, infectious effort that should be listened to with an open mind by country and pop fans alike. Track Listing - Disc 1 Tennessee-The Nashville Sessions by Russell Hitchcock on Apple Music 20 Songs Album Review Three decades after their pop chart heyday with some of the most romantic hits of the early '80s, Air Supply — Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock — were still going strong, touring the world every year. The second decade of the 2000s began with a new burst of creativity as well, with the duo releasing Mumbo Jumbo — their first album of original material in eight years — and placing two songs on the adult contemporary charts. Even more impressive is Hitchcock's reaching out of the Air Supply comfort zone for this rich, emotional excursion into pop-country territory on an expansive two-CD, 20-track set that finds him working with some of the city's renowned session musicians and songwriters.

Not surprisingly, while the singer employs a lower vocal tone than what most of his fans are used to, he still unapologetically plays the role of the super-romantic (the soaring opening ballad "Fallin'") and resident heartbreaker (the soulful and ironic, steel guitar-tinged "It Don't Mean a Thing"). He's not above rockin' just a little, getting bluesy and drinking and smoking cigarettes to get his lost love back — but somehow makes being "Desperate" sound full of a potential silver lining. Disc two's opening gush of heartbreak, "Far Enough Away from Colorado," is where the more authentic country vibe on the collection enters full force, and it's a ride that takes Hitchcock beyond simple affairs of the heart. He admits he's a little crazy and rowdy on "May the Best Man Win" and experiences a little of Johnny Cash's personal heartbreak on the somber retrospection of "Cash's Last Days." Usually, drinking is a celebrated theme in country music, but on "The Next Right Thing," Hitchcock boldly explores the darker side, asking for one last chance after yet another bender.

Disc two has a few conventional love ballads ("A Love Like This," "Hold Me Like You Love Me"), but more clever expressions like "Like I'm Elvis" engage a bit more. Hitchcock's busy "day job" with Air Supply, and the perception that this could be a one-time flirtation with Nashville, might preclude him being invited to CMA events or the Grand Ole Opry, but it's remarkably strong, infectious effort that should be listened to with an open mind by country and pop fans alike. Customer Reviews great guy and great music by mhd1987 Hitchcock's new album is great. It is really rare for an artist to capture such a broad fan base, but he has managed to do it! One of the only artists that my parents and I agree makes good music! Definitely worth checking out if you like country music or any of Russell's other music!! Also, I met him at a fan booth at CMA Fest and he is a really cool guy. I have met my fair share of musicians, but he is by far one of the most genuine. He really cares about the music and giving his fans his best work!!

:) Russell Russell Hitchcock (Musician) - Pics, Videos, Dating, & News Russell Hitchcock Male Born Jun 15, 1949 Russell Charles Hitchcock is an Australian musician and singer of the group Air Supply. He formed the group after meeting British-Australian musician Graham Russell in 1975 on the set of a production of Jesus Christ Superstar. related links Air Supply Lost In Love In Plant City Strawberry Festival NSBN News - Apr 26, 2012 ' \n Pavlina Osta of Port Orange talks with Graham Russell and <mark>Russell Hitchcock</mark>, the super duo known as \"Air Supply\" during their spring concert at the Strawberry Ferstival in Plant City. \n By Pavlina Osta\n Pavlina\'s Place \n \n PLANT CITY -- I talk with the fabulous duo Air Supply, backstage, before their performance at the Strawberry Festival in Plant City. \n Graham Russell and <mark>Russell Hitchcock</mark> have such famous songs as \"Lost in Love,\" \"All out of Love\...

Romantic Ballads, Not Scandal, Pay Off For Air Supply Las Vegas Review Journal Google News - Sep 02, 2011 '&quot;We did our share of everything in the day,&quot; says singer-songwriter <mark>Russell Hitchcock</mark>. &quot;But we were never part of the hip crowd. We didn&#39;t go to the right parties. We didn&#39;t have the right PR person. We didn&#39;t have a drug problem' What We Learned Today.... Pittsburgh Post Gazette (Blog) Google News - Sep 01, 2011 'He has all of their albums, a concert shirt from the 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000 tours and even had his hair styled like <mark>Russell Hitchcock</mark> when he was in high school.

Pat likes to sing songs like &quot;Here I am&quot; and &quot;Even the nights are better&quot; at karaoke' Events Guide: Labor Day Weekend 2011 Las Vegas Weekly Google News - Aug 30, 2011 'Air Supply at The Orleans Showroom: Graham Russell and <mark>Russell Hitchcock</mark> met in Australia and found success in the United States, after Clive Davis signed them to Arista Records, when their single &quot;Lost in Love&quot; raced up the charts' It Hasn't Been a Breeze, but Now, Borne Up on Wings of Love, Air Supply Is Having a Blast It Hasn't Been a Breeze, but Now, Borne Up on Wings of Love, Air Supply Is Having a Blast Email The group’s co-founder Graham Russell has been known to provoke squeals of girlish adoration at concerts by saying such things as, “We sing songs about love because we love the people we sing our songs to!” Coming from the Australian septet Air Supply, those sentiments aren’t just blather.

“I can see a couple walking through the park,” says Russell, “and get inspired by just seeing the way they hold hands.” Schmaltz? Pop? Try “gold.” Nobody in pop music ever went broke overestimating America’s appetite for romance, and in two years Air Supply has profited from two platinum albums, thanks to a series of smash hits with such gushy titles as Lost in Love, All Out of Love and The One That You Love. Their latest Top 10 single, Even the Nights Are Better, is yet another paean to puppy love. The group’s nucleus is a Mutt-and-Jeff pair of Russells. Composer-guitarist Graham Russell, 33, stands 6’5″, has sandy hair and blue eyes. Vocalist Russell Hitchcock, also 33, is 5’7″, swarthy and dark-haired. Otherwise, observes the band’s longtime keyboardist Frank Esler-Smith, “They are very much alike.

They have the same sense of humor; that helps a lot in this business.” That’s not all: Both grew up in working-class families, took odd jobs (Graham tried digging ditches but quit after half a day), kicked around the pub music scene, and met when they landed parts in 1976 in the Down Under production of Jesus Christ Superstar. Russell played Peter and Hitchcock was cast at various times as Jesus and Judas. “Our voices naturally went together,” recalls Russell. “Mine was low and his high.” The duo noodled around after hours; eventually they started an ensemble and began making demo tapes of Graham’s original songs. “We both have air signs astrologically,” says Russell, explaining the name. (Gemini, Libra and Aquarius are the zodiac’s “air signs.”) The band got its first Australian hit while Hitchcock and Russell were still in Superstar, and on New Year’s Eve 1977 they played for 90,000 Aussies outside the Sydney Opera House, although Hitchcock remembers “a lot of people thinking the first time around we were Americans.” “We were sitting on top of the world,” says Russell.

But then, after a tour of Australia and the U.S. with Rod Stewart, which led to a CBS record contract, the band returned home to a backlash. “Australians are very provincial in many ways,” says Britisher Russell, who was born in Sherwood Forest, Nottingham and moved to Australia at 17. “If they feel that you’ve used them as a stepping stone to bigger things, they resent it.” Hitchcock claims Air Supply’s next Australian tour drew only “a thousand people in more than 20 shows.” As the band languished, Hitchcock took a job working for a film production company specializing in rock clips. One day the rival Little River Band came by to do some shooting and he was sent out to buy the group sandwiches. “It was the most humiliating experience of my life,” he says. “I knew someone should be going out and getting us sandwiches.” Meanwhile Russell had returned to England to hawk songs. In London he picked up an American music trade magazine to discover that Air Supply’s signature song, Lost in Love, idly sold for U.S. distribution by the group’s Australian label, Big Time Records, was in the Top 10 in the States.

“I begged, borrowed and stole enough money to get to Los Angeles,” recalls Russell. “I called Olive Davis [president of their American label, Arista] and all he wanted to know was why I wasn’t back in Australia recording an album.” Air Supply’s business future is now guided by American Don Arden, the rock Svengali who managed Electric Light Orchestra and founded Jet Records. An indication of Air Supply’s professional potential is the huge amount of money sought in a still-unsettled lawsuit filed by former Australian manager Lance Reynolds—nearly $1.5 billion. “In terms of what this band will make in years to come,” Reynolds has said, “it’s not such an outrageous sum.” International success notwithstanding, Air Supply still records in Australia and its members all keep homes there. Hitchcock lives in a spacious apartment in Sydney with his wife of two years, Dianne, 37, with room for his 11-year-old son from a previous marriage, Jon. Dianne and Hitchcock spend a lot of time apart but he says, “She knows that the music is everything and she’s adjusted.” Russell lives on a ranch in Avoca Beach, Victoria.

He shares it with his longtime girlfriend, Chrissie, 31. It is she, he says, who has inspired many of Air Supply’s most romantic songs. But shhh—it’s a secret. “Now if I write a song about her,” he explains, “I try not to tell her or she gets mushy.” Show Full Article Graham Russell of Air Supply : Songwriter Interviews Graham Russell of Air Supply Graham Russell of Air Supply : Songwriter Interviews Air Supply is the winning combination of Graham Russell's guitar and songwriting, matched to Russell Hitchcock's distinctive vocals. "Hit Supply" may be a more accurate name for this duo, who have delivered touching, mellow, and highly successful love songs since the first week of 1980, when the legendary record mogul Clive Davis unleashed "Lost in Love" on America. The pair is still going strong today, and meeting (Air) Supply and demand with their new album Mumbo Jumbo, which boasts the first single, "Dance With Me." Graham Russell let us in on Air Supply's "Raunchy" side, let us know if they're available for weddings, and explains the lyric tweak that made all the difference.

Dan MacIntosh (Songfacts): You've written with Clive Davis, right? Graham Russell: Yeah, we have. "All Out of Love" was written, and it was a hit in Australia in '78. But it had a couple of different lines in it. And when Clive heard them he said, "These lines won't go well in America." Songfacts: What lines were they? Graham: Originally it was, "I'm all out of love, I want to arrest you." By that I mean, "I want to get your attention." Songfacts: Right. Graham: In Australia nobody questioned it, and it was a #1 song in Australia in '78. Clive heard it, he says, "Oh, no, that's too weird." It had already been a hit. He said, "In America they won't understand that." Songfacts: No, we wouldn't. We'd think that was kind of weird. Graham: So he said, "What about 'I'm all out of love, I'm so lost without you'?" And I thought, Yeah, that sounds great.

I mean, at first I thought, Oh, I don't know if I want to change it. But Clive said, "It's a great song and it could be a massive hit, but you just need to change a couple of lines." It was that line, and there was another line: "I know you were right." "I'm all out of love, I'm so lost without you, I know you were right." But funnily enough, we'll never know if it would have worked the other way. And I doubt it, to be honest. Because Clive is usually right. Songfacts: Yeah, people don't argue with him, do they? Graham: No, they don't. (laughs) Because he's always right. And I have a feeling he was right in that instance, too. And had I not changed it, it maybe wouldn't have been the colossal landmark hit that it was. Songfacts: Those lines just go together: "I'm all out of love, I'm so lost without you." I can't picture it any other way. So in Australia then, when you say "I want to arrest you," is that something that is in common speech?

Graham: You know, it really isn't. I think it was just me using a weird word. But, you know, now I think of it, it's definitely very weird. There are certain words that you just don't use when you're writing songs. And "arrest" is one of them. Words like "cabbage" or "cauliflower," like that. There are certain words that just aren't poetic. And "arrest" is one of them. And I really don't know why I used it. But Clive called me on it, and the rest became history. Songfacts: Did Clive take an interest in the band early? Graham: He did. He heard "Lost In Love," and – this is what I understand and what he told me – he bought the rights to "Lost In Love' for Arista Records. "Love In Love" had already been a hit in Australia, and I think he was waiting for the turn of the decade, so he released it very early in January, I think the first week. Initially he just had the single. And I saw the single being reviewed in Cash Box magazine when I was overseas trying to scrape money together to live, because I was broke.

It said, "This song is destined to go all the way to Top 5." I couldn't believe it. So I called Clive up, and he said, "Yeah, it's happening." We didn't even know we had a release coming out, that it had been picked up. So I was on my way back to Australia, and I came through Los Angeles, and I saw Clive, because I wanted to see if it was real. And he said, "Oh, yeah. It's all happening. You've been signed to Arista. You need to go back and make the album," because we hadn't done the album. So that's how it all went down. It was kind of strange. But he was very into the band in those early years, very much so. Songfacts: Do you consider it a band, or a duo? I was looking at the older album covers, and it's not just you and Russell pictured on those covers. Graham: It was always the two of us, but we always had a band, and at that point, they always were in the photos, and they actually shared in everything.

But there were a couple of small squabbles within the band, so we said, "Okay, we've got to stop this. It's going to be Russell and I from now on." In fact, we started with just the two of us, when we were still in Superstar, when we used to do shows. (Hitchcock and Russell met in 1975 when they were both performing in an Australian production of Jesus Christ Superstar.) We always consider it a band, though, even if it's two of us. Songfacts: You know, they say that a band is like a marriage… Graham: Yeah. Songfacts: And it's 35 years now that you've been together? Graham: Yes, it is. Yeah. Songfacts: How do you keep that partnership fresh and exciting? Graham: I'm very lucky because I get to write the songs, and Russell gets to sing them. And there's no competition between us at all. We've never had an argument in our whole career. Songfacts: Wow. Graham: We both have certain roles to fulfill and we do those the best we can.

There's never any bickering or saying, "No, I don't want to do that song, I want to do this one." And that's always the way it's been. So I don't really know any other way. Songfacts: Do you tailor your songs in such a way that you know they'll sound good when Russell sings them? Graham: Yeah, I write for his voice, because I know it so well. And I know what his limits are when he goes up high. It's quite a limit, it's quite high. So I kind of tailor them that way. I think the key's that way, and I'm usually right. Sometimes I have a wrong key so we'll move it. But I think I've got a good grip on that. But I do write for him specifically, yes I do. Songfacts: Has he ever questioned your lyrics, or does he pretty much trust you? Graham: Well, he does trust me. And if he makes a suggestion he's very shy about it.

He'll say, "Well, what about this word?" And if it's something I haven't thought of, I'll go, "Oh yeah, let's try that." And that happens quite often. I love that input, because I do need a sounding board. And I get that in the studio, too. And I'm the first one for that, if something's not working I'll say, "Okay, let's get rid of that song." If something doesn't flow. Songfacts: When people think of Air Supply, they think of soft rock, for lack of a better term. Graham: Yeah. Songfacts: But I imagine that as a songwriter and a musician there are more sides to your musical personality. Do you ever wish you could just let loose and play loud? Graham: Oh, well, we do, actually. On this new record of ours, we're definitely doing that. Some of the stuff's pretty loud, and we're a full-on rock and roll band live - my amplifier's cranked right up. I love Rolling Stones and I love Keith Richards as a player, so I play in that same vein. I love that raunchiness that he has. Songfacts: Really?

Graham: Oh, it's pretty raunchy, yeah. (laughs) New songs, they're raunchy, yeah. Songfacts: The impression I get from the songs that you write is that you're a very romantic person. Does that reflect how you really are? Graham: I think it does. I'd like to think I'm somewhat of a romantic, because otherwise my music wouldn't be real. But my whole background, even when I was growing up, was very much that way as well. For instance, I come from a place in England where all those great poets came from - Wordsworth and Keats and all those guys - so I was surrounded by it, and I loved poetry as a child. And I love the English language; that's what I took in school. And I became very good at it, because I just had a passion for it. When I was reading all the great poets, I just loved the way they wrote, I loved the way they made things rhyme. So I just drifted into it by mistake, really. And when it came time for me to leave school and choose a profession, the only thing I wanted was to be a composer or be in a band.

I had no alternative but that. Songfacts: Russell has said that you're not recognized for your songwriting the way you should be. Do you ever feel like people missed the fact that you write so many of those great songs? Graham: Not really. I know what Russell's saying, because he often says that I never got the recognition that perhaps other writers get. But to me it doesn't really mean anything, as long as people like my songs and sing them and treasure them, and my songs become the soundscape to their lives, that's reward enough for me. It's all Air Supply, and it's not individuals. I am the songwriter, and Russell's the singer, but if people know that, it's not really important to me. The message is important, the songs. I'm so thrilled that I've had a career that's lasted a long time, and that the thing that I do best – better than any other thing, which is write songs – I've been able to do in this lifetime and do it successfully and earn a good living at doing it. For me, that's a great achievement. Songfacts: Did you really write "Lost In Love" in 15 minutes? Graham: Yes.

"Lost In Love" is such a simple song. I think about the songs before I start to write them, and I think about where they're going to go. I'm very aware that when that inspiration comes, it comes very quickly: it's like a dart, and it doesn't last a long time, that real initial impulse. So when it comes I know that the thoughts are going to be scattered, and they're going to come really fast, and I need to get them down quickly, so I need to think about the song first when I know it's coming. When a song is coming I get a weird feeling, and then I kind of drift somewhere on my own to think about it. But when I actually play the piano or pick the guitar up, it'll come really quickly. But my songs, too, are very simple. I mean, I'm not into jazz, and I'm not into fusion or anything like that. My songs are really straight ahead, real simple chords, the simpler the better. So a song like "Lost In Love" with four chords, there's only two parts to it. There's really no chorus. There's just a verse and a bridge.

So something like that shouldn't take longer than 15 minutes to write, you know. (laughing) Songfacts: Can you tell, when you've written a song, if it has potential to be a hit? Graham: Now, after so many years writing songs, I think I've got a grip on the potential of a song. If I write a song and I think, Oh yeah, I like this, and I have a feeling that it's going to be a hit, then it's usually a correct feeling. But in the past I didn't have that. Like I didn't really have it with "All Out of Love" initially. But then once it started to build in the studio, I thought, Oh yeah, this is gonna be a big one. But I was very surprised by "Sweet Dreams," which was a Top 5 for us in '81, because I had no concept that that was ever going be a single.

I just thought, Oh, I've got free rein here, I don't have to particularly write a hit song, I can just do something that I want and that I think would be great for the band, which was "Sweet Dreams." But when Clive (Davis) heard it he was all over it. So I was very surprised then. But I think now I've learned to distinguish certain songs from others. Songfacts: What can you tell me about the new album? Graham: Well, it's 14 songs, and it's a concept album, which is very dangerous to do these days, but we didn't care about that. They're all brand new songs, and they tell a story, if you want to go that deep. The songs are great together, but also individually they'll stand on their own. I think "Dance with Me" has already charted. Songfacts: That's a song about dancing, and that's not something people associate with Air Supply music. Although maybe slow dancing… Graham: Well, actually, if you'd seen us live, we dance all night. We don't stop moving. It's strange, until people see us, they go, "I had no idea.

I thought it was gonna be like all wedding songs or like that." But no, it's pretty full-on. Songfacts: At concerts, people want to move; they're not sitting down listening to music. That's something you do at home, right? Graham: That's right. When I go to a concert I want to stand up all night and, depending on who I'm watching, I want to get into it. I like it loud and raunchy, and I want to enjoy the music, hear the hits, and hear what else they've got to offer. And we try to do that with our audiences. I think it's our duty to give our audiences new things all the time, and we always have been. We don't just go out and play the hits and say, "Well thanks very much, we'll see you next year." We like to entertain people that perhaps have never heard of us or never seen us before. Songfacts: What kind of feedback do you get from your fan base? Graham: We do a meet and greet after every show. We always do it and we always have, and I think that's why we've created such a liaison with our fans.

And after the show, if we do a new song, they'll go, "Wow, that new song was great," or "I love the way you did this." So we get the feedback from them all the time, like when we first played a song off the new album, it's called "Faith in Love," but we first played it like three years ago. Songfacts: Wow, that's a long time ago. Graham: It's a disco song, you know. Songfacts: Oh, really? Graham: I remember that song in particular, it was like breaking the barriers - we could do other things. I thought at first that people would think Air Supply with a disco feel was too weird, but you know what? The Bee Gees did it, so I think we can too. Songfacts: Absolutely. The Bee Gees did it extremely well. Do you call California your home state now? Graham: No, I live in Utah, actually. In the mountains. Songfacts: Oh, lucky you. How about Russell? Where does he live? Graham: He lives in Orange County in California. Songfacts: Are you planning to tour this summer? Graham: Oh yeah.

We've already done maybe 20 shows this year. We're going overseas, we're going to Mexico, and we're off to China, India, and Kuala Lumpur, and all over Asia. Then we'll come back to the US in August. Songfacts: Does your music translate well in non English-speaking countries? Graham: They know every word to every song. I guarantee when we play the new album they'll know every word to the new songs, too. Songfacts: That's gotta make you feel good to think that they're that devoted. Graham: We've played in places in China that people have never heard of, and they're there, thousands of people, and they know every word. They don't know what they mean, but they know 'em all. Wild. Songfacts: The songs just take on lives of their own. Graham: Right. They do. It's been such a long time now. The early hits, people just keep playing them. Which is great, but I think they mean a lot to people around the world. Even people that weren't alive when they came out, they love 'em.

You know, we see 9, 10, 12-year-old kids at our shows. And I ask them, "How come you know all the songs?" They'll say, "Oh, we saw it in this movie or our parents play it all the time, and we love it." Songfacts: Do you like how your songs have been used in movies? Graham: I do, absolutely. Songfacts: You had a song in the movie Happiness. ("All Out of Love" - it's at the end of this clip) Graham: Oh, I don't think I've seen that movie. Songfacts: Well, you've got a song in there. But don't watch it with young people. Graham: Oh really? It's a bit dodgy? Songfacts: Yes, it is. Graham: Okay. I'll look out for it, though. Songfacts: Air Supply is like the ultimate wedding crasher band - your songs must be played at more weddings than you can count. Graham: Russell and I, our career seems to have been like a flash, and suddenly we've been together for like 35 years. It's so weird.

But I do think about that: certain songs mean more to people than others, but they certainly keep playing them, and definitely at weddings. You know, and I've been to a few weddings in my time, and there's Air Supply songs all over the place. Songfacts: Have you played your songs at weddings for people you know? Graham: I have, yeah. I wrote another song that's on the new Mumbo Jumbo album called "Why?" We did it with the Celtic tenors and it's just beautiful. Very Queen-like harmonies on it. I wrote the song when my son got married. When he took his first dance with his bride, I played it on the dance floor with acoustic guitar. And Russell sang "Now and Forever" at my wedding. Songfacts: Really? Graham: Yes, he did. In Rockford, Illinois, in 1986, to a big church organ accompaniment. It was just breathtaking. Songfacts: Oh, my goodness. Graham: Yeah. That was beautiful. So we do it, too. (laughs) We spoke with Graham on April 29, 2010.

For more information on their tour and album, go to their official site . About the Author: Dan MacIntoshBased in Norwalk, California with a big fancy degree in Communications from California State University, Fullerton, Dan specializes in Country and Contemporary Christian music. He's also written for Popmatters and Spin.com. In the Songfacts band, he would play guitar, but so far record companies have not come calling. More from Dan MacIntosh send your comment

Question: What name was used by duo Russell Hitchcock and Graham Russell
Answer: Air Supply